Drier



F. G. SARGENT.

DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1919.

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FREDERICK e. SARGENT, or wn srronn, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To C. e. SARGENTS SONS CORPORATION, or GRANITEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DRIER.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed April 14, 1919. Serial No. 289,914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. SAR- GENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVestford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Drier, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a drier capable of general application, but particularly designed for removing moisture from wool or other fibrous material.

In machines for this purpose it has been customary to convey the material through the drier by means of a perforated traveling apron commonly formed of Wire cloth. Such aprons are relatively expensive, and the conditions of service are severe.-

It is one object of my present invention to provide improved devices in a drier by which the material may be supported and conveyed by means other than the expensive traveling apron, and on which the wool or other material may be effectively exposed to currents of heated air upwardly directed therethrough.

In the preferred form, such devices include a fixed perforated support and one or more perforated drums at the ends thereof through which heated air may pass freely. Other features of my invention relate to the provision of an improved construction by which contact of the material with the conveyer chains is prevented, and to a construction of conveyor by which the material is largely supported out of contact with the fixed perforated support.

My invention further consists of arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my invention, together with certain modifications, is shown in the drawings, ,in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of my improved drier; Figs. 2 and 3 are detail longitudinal sections taken along the lines 22 and 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation of a perforated drum;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of a conveyor chain;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof;

7 is a detail transverse section of a portion of the drier;

Fig. 8 1s a partial plan view of one form of perforated support;

r ig. 9 is a corresponding view of a modifled form of support, and

Fig. 10 illustrates a second modification.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a drier comprising side walls 20 and 21, an intermediate'wall or partition 22, and a top 23. A fixed stock support 24 is mounted on members 25 and 26 extending longitudinally of the machine and preferably supported on brackets 25 and 26 projecting inwardly from the walls 20 and 22. The members 25 and 26 may be spaced from the walls 20 and 22 for a purpose to be described. I Conveyor chains 27 are movable over the members 25 and 26 at each side of the support 24, and

pass over sprockets 28 at the ends of drums be interposed to raise the slats 32 above the chains 27, and also to space the slats from the support 24. The slats 32 are preferably placed at relatively short distance apart, so that the material in the drier is largely supported by the slats and is to a great extent out of contact with the support 24.

In the preferred form the support 24 is disclosed as a sheet metal plate having per- .forations 35 (Fig. 8) therethrough, but this support may also be formed in other ways as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10. In Fig. 9 the perforated plate 24 is replaced by a wire mesh fabric comprising longitudinally extending wires or rods :36 and cross rods 27. In the construction indicated in Fig. 10 the longitudinally extending rods 38 are supported by notched cross bars 39, this construction permitting convenient removal of separate rods 38 when desired.

In order to keep the stock out of Contact with the conveyor chains, I provide longitudinally extending guards 40 (Figs. 1 and 7) which protect the chains and prevent contact of the material therewith.

,I have indicated in Fig, 1 an arrangement, of heating and circulating mechanism by which the heated air may be forced upward through the support 24 and drums 29 to rethrough the inlet opening move moisture from the material, the current of air also tendin to raise the material from the support and rum.

For this coil 41, an intake fan 42, and an exhaust fan 43 together with a partition 4st partially separating the drying chamber from the cold air inlet 45. The preferred circulation of air is indicated by arrows in Fig. 1 which show that a portion of the moist air is drawn through the intake fan and reheated, while the remainder is removed from the drier by the exhaust fan 4-3, fresh air being drawn in 45 to replace the air exhausted by the fan 43,

The provision of a perforated drum at one or both ends of the support 2 1 permits the drying operation to be continued until the supported material actually falls oil of the drum, thus gaining a considerable percentage of drying effect over what could be obtained with unperforated drums The provision of narrow spaces between the members and 26 and the walls 20 and 22 permits air to pass upward through and around the conveyer chains and assist the guards 40 in preventing contact of the material with the chains Having thus described my invention, it will be evident that changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the purpose I-have shown a heating claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited. to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is 1. In a drier, a fixed support for the material to be dried, a perforated drum adjacent the end thereof, means to advance the material over said support and drum, and means to force heatedair upward through said support and drum to dry the material.

In a drier a fixed support for the material to be dried, means to move the material along said support, said means including conveyor chains at each side of said support, and fixed inwardly projecting guard strips positioned above said chains and extending longitudinally thereof, said strips reventing contact of said material with sai chains.

3, In a drier, a fixed support for the material to be dried, conveyor chains at each side thereof, a plurality of slats carried by said chains and exten ing across said support, means to hold said slats in spaced relation above said support, and means to drive said chains.

4. In a drier, a casing, a fixed support for the material to be dried, means to move the material along said support, including conveyer chains at each side thereof, longitudirnnnnnrcir e. student. 

